Berlin Truck Incident

Horrible. http://mobile.nytimes.com/2016/12/19/world/europe/berlin-christmas-market-truck-crash.html

"Improve people's reasoning skills"?

Yeah, right. That oughta do it.

Reasoning skills so that people do not accept false or harmful ideas as true, such as religious beliefs. Relgious beliefs that continue to influence awful behaviours in our world, whether it be the rights of minorities or violent attacks.

This is a long-term problem of course (maybe the longest-term of all issues we face in the world). And the world, at least the western world, is very slowly moving in the right direction. If you're a free thinker and not a slave to the indoctrination of the religious system, I encourage you to spread the 'good news' far and wide.

Challenge people when they sweep under the rug the impact of belief on behaviour or the terrible impact on religion on this world to avoid short-term offence or conflict.



Enough is enough.

How many people have to die?

How many gay people have to suffer or kill themselves?

How many women have to be denied abortions?

Updated On: 12/20/16 at 01:35 AM

We love to criticise individuals, such as republican candidates or voters for their attitudes and social policies. But the problem isn't individuals - it's a wider systemic issue. They are slaves to the religious systems. It's honestly not the fault of the republican candidates and voters that they have, for the most part, been indoctrinated at a young age to believe certain things.

We need to change our education system - teach people how to think not what to think. It would solve so many issues.

Any chance Merkel had to survive her Election and The Populism she pretty much created is Gone With The Wind now, despite her too little and late about face on immigration and refugees

Updated On: 12/20/16 at 09:31 AM

It's a really, really difficult situation. This kind of attack is exactly what Trump is trying to avoid with his immigration policies, but of course there are a bunch of negative (perhaps unintended) consequences of his approach (making groups of individuals feel isolated that could possibly help spark home-grown terrorism; not being a human and showing compassion to the large amount of people who will suffer if not taken in). There are risks with both options.

kdogg36 said: "qolbinau said: "Reasoning skills so that people do not accept false or harmful ideas as true, such as religious beliefs."

I agree completely with you. I'm not as forward about it as you are because it would seriously damage some personal relationships, but perhaps I should be.


"

Do be careful about who/the audience etc. - in my experience speaking like I do here may not be effective because it can offend people. Similarly, if you look at the political threads here the emotion/aggression of many posters here (including myself at times) would never convince people.

I'm guessing the best way is to build rapport (even a friendship) with someone - maybe one that already exists, and have a calm discussion where you discuss ideas and the reasons for believing them.

The problem is that many people are even unwilling to have such a discussion - I have found that some people have genuinely no interest in trying to examine their own thoughts, the reason they believe them, whether there are alternative ideas that might be more intellectually sound. Some people seem to have adopted ideas and will do anything in their power to maintain them no matter what you say. I find this very unfortunate . This is why I think it is a problem with the system that has to be targeted at the education level. I wish every child was taught never to accept anything as true without good reasons for doing so, was taught the structure of an argument - a conclusion based on premises. When we teach people how to think - not what to think. Most will open their own minds to thinking about whether they should accept certain things as true or not.

You can see the power of religious ideas in some of the things that people say. Dr Ben Carson is a highly educated brain surgeon yet does not accept evolution to be true. And of course, creationism is unfortunately one of the most harmful ideas because people that think we were created as men and women in god's image to serve a specific purpose leads to a whole host of negative attitudes and policies around abortion, scientific research, gay marriage etc. And it's this same pattern of thinking and ill-reasoning that leads to other ideas such as concluding that climate change is a myth. Also, despite what some people keep professing - there is a relationship between religion and terrorism. It's a complicated relationship involving many factors - but religion is used as a weapon to exploit people to commit terrible acts (often as a response to western foreign policies, I will admit - but not always). People are sucked in and often genuinely believe that they are fulfilling their religious duties by engaging in these behaviours.



I don't have all the answers, but I do think the first step is recognising the problem. And make no mistake religion is a big issue. I kind of see the impact of religion on social policies like the impact of big money on economic policies - not good and something that should be removed.

Updated On: 12/20/16 at 04:36 PM

Thank you I probably have missed the most recent news reports while I was sleeping.

Updated On: 12/20/16 at 05:00 PM

I think the media really does a favor to terrorists by giving so much coverage to this two-bit attack. We've all been duped into thinking that terrorists present a bigger threat than heart disease or drunk drivers, and that's exactly what the terrorists want us to think.

Well, yes, driving a truck into a crowd is a two-bit attack compared to Obama's (and soon Trump's) control over expensive, high-tech killing machines.

My point is that cancer, heart disease, car accidents - these are far bigger threats to our well-being than terrorists, but I think we've been led to believe otherwise. Do you dispute that?

ETA: Thanks for fostering civil conversation, and I really respect you for that too!

Updated On: 12/20/16 at 07:55 PM

A Tunisian National linked to Radical Islamic Groups seeking asylum has been identified, but still looking for him.

Latest developments from CNN

• The suspect was arrested in August with forged documents en route to Italy, but a judge released him, an offical says.

• Police at one point noticed the suspect because he was looking for a gun.

• The suspect was known to be in touch with radical Islamist groups, a state minister says.

• The suspect's asylum request was refused, and deportation was attempted, a German state minister says.

• German police conduct raids in North Rhine-Westphalia region, a security official says.



http://www.cnn.com/2016/12/21/europe/berlin-christmas-market-truck/index.html

Updated On: 12/21/16 at 01:54 PM

Well she is now backtrack for her policies. Plus they have had a direct effect on the recent elections in UK, Italy, France, Hungary, Austria not to mention United States.

Ukpuppetboy this is the interview I was talking about.

'I wish I could turn back time' Merkel finally admits she REGRETS open-door migrant policy

Following a devastating defeat in Berlin state elections today, Mrs Merkel said she accepted her share of responsibility for voters punishing her ruling Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) party for her refugee-friendly migrant policy.

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, she said: "If I could, I would turn back the time by many, many years."

The German premier admitted she could have been better prepared for the influx of migrants last year.

She added if she knew how people wanted her to change her migrant policy she would consider it.

Sounding particularly conciliatory, Mrs Merkel added that if the wish of the German people was for the country not to be swamped with uncontrolled and unregulated migration "then that is exactly what I am fighting for".







www.express.co.uk/news/world/712125/Angela-Merkel-admits-regrets-open-door-migrant-policy/amp

Updated On: 12/23/16 at 03:02 PM

Merkel has a good heart and is a courageous leader but she f....ed up. She clearly had no idea what would happen to Europe with her open door policy. What she has done has been disaster and will only get worse.